Tears of Comfort
by Slytherin Redeemed
Summary: [COMPLETE][EaglexGeo][EaglexLantis][LantisxHikaru] After years in comatose, Eagle wakes up to the date of Hikaru and Latis' wedding. How will he take it?


**Disclaimer:** _Magic Knight Rayearth_ is property of CLAMP.  
This was written for fun; no profit is being made out of this.  
_No copyright infringement is intended_.

**Tears of Comfort**

By Wakaoji Takudo

xxx

"_This is an interesting variation on the 'Old flame at the wedding' theme, and a very well-written one." –Dumas1, in a review on Media-Miner_

xxx

Well, I promised both Hikaru and Lantis, so I arrived on the day of their wedding. It couldn't be helped. I couldn't deny either of them a favor. After seven years, they've waited for my waking, and I would have to say this is the best way I could repay them—attending their wedding. Geo and Zazu flanked my side. Each of us wore the formal Autozamian robes worn only four times in succession: My father's becoming of president, Geo's, Zazu's, and my own becoming of age to obtain command over the highest-ranking Autozamian battleship, the NSX, and my mother's funeral. It was surprising to see my robes out again; it was quite a difference from the usual armor I wore; and it _was_ quite a difference that it wasn't black. Geo's robes were decorated with a light green with a hint of black at the hem. Zazu's was decorated with a dark maroon, accompanied with silver tracing the hem. And well, my robes were, so to say, silver with—like Geo's—black accenting the hem. I felt quite relieved to be out of the stuffy black clothes I wore for seven years straight—always asleep….

The three of us walked patiently into the—oh, what was it called again?—_ballroom_, I believe the term was. It was decorated with amazing crystal statues flanking the doors, the windows adorned with silken curtains decorated with flaming red—Hikaru's color. The lace that trailed over the seats was obsidian—Lantis's trademark. Apparently, it was the Master Mage, Clef, who was to wed them. Umi and Fuu, each Magic Knight of Water and Wind respectively, were her bridesmaids and the Prince Ferio and the Summoner Ascot were the best men.

People began filing in. Some of their faces I quickly recognized from the window near the doorway. There were theprincesses from our neighboring country, Chizeta, Tatra and Tarta. Also attending the wedding wasthe young princess of our other neighboring country, Aska, her servant, Sang-Yung, and her advisor, Ang-Chang. From Cephiro, there came the beast that Hikaru used to carry around so much, Mokona, I believe its name was; the fairy usually on Lantis's shoulder, Primera. Apparently so, Hikaru and Lantis had both let the Chizetan and Fahrenian kings and queens arrive (in Fahren's case, the elder sisters of Lady Aska—there were seven elder princesses, as it seemed, though it was her that became princess—were allowed to come as well). I was quite shocked myself when my father, President of Autozam, arrived, dressed in his most formal clothing. The female crewmembers of the Chizetan mobile fortress, the Bravada, were also there in dresses of sunshine gold, while the people running the Fahrenian ship, the Dome (or Dream Child, as it's sometimes otherwise called) arrived in their most imperial robes. The ones running my own ship, the NSX, were there as well, upon Lantis's sole request.

Hikaru's, Umi's, and Fuu's families were there, too, though I couldn't recognize them as easily as the ones from Cephiro, Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren. I had the distinct feeling Hikaru's family (if they were so) were staring at me as they entered. I shivered. Geo noticed. "You okay, Eagle?"

"Just fine, Geo," I replied, smiling at my friend. "Now isn't the time to worry about _me_, eh?"

Lantis then appeared at the doorway, clothed in the most elegant robes of black silk that swirled around in the open breeze. The thin circlet around his head shone brightly, reflected against the sun's rays. His armor stood proudly against the robes, the cerulean orbs on them also sparkling brightly. His eyes betrayed his stony face, a great smile gracing them. His lips were a silent line, once or twice curling into a smile or a grin of happiness. He seemed only to notice me when Zazu came up to me and said, "I've reserved you a seat in the fifth row to the right, all right, Eagle?"

"Sure," I answered, "thank you, Zazu."

Lantis turned to me, his crystal blue eyes narrowing with concern. _I_ was the one who noticed this time, and asked him, "Anything on your mind that's troubling you, Lantis?"

He shook his head quickly. Curious concern was dismissed and disappeared from his eyes. My own eyes closed in pain, then opened quickly when Lantis whispered in my ear, "I still love you, Eagle, but now as a friend."

The last three words seemed to scar me forever. _As a friend._ He would think of our previous love only a friendship. I would never be more to him anymore than a _friend_. I was jealous of Hikaru then, but my jealousy seemed to evaporate into air as the aforementioned girl—no, _woman_—entered the room clad in ruby-colored Pillar's clothing. Her hair was let down, cascading behind her as another breeze swept through the room. The dress swept the floor, and her veil reached nearly her waist. On her fourth finger on her left hand, I finally noticed their engagement ring. It seemed made from Escudo, the legendary metal made to use the Magic Knights' swords. Presea read my mind, and murmured softly in my ear so as to not make me jump, "It is, Eagle Vision."

"I see," I muttered beneath my breath.

The music—apparently brought in from Chizeta—began playing; I took my seat where Zazu instructed me: the fifth row to the right. I sat down in the middle of Geo and Zazu, and watched intently as both Lantis and Hikaru walked down the aisle the same time. So _this_ was how they wed in Cephiro; in Autozam, it was always quite different. As they reached the altar, their vows began. I nearly paid attention, or rather tried to. I found myself instead interested with the beautiful scenery outside the high windows. I turned when Lantis and Hikaru, synchronized with each other, pledged, "I do." I averted my gaze to the Prince, the Summoner, the Water Knight, and the Wind Knight. Shall I describe _their_ formal wear as well?

The Prince Ferio wore gallant robes of sky-blue, contrasting quite brilliantly with his amber eyes and emerald hair; the Summoner Ascot wore the dress robes nearly fit to be Autozamian: it held a black hem with silver accenting the top half, while it was gray on the bottom. The Water Knight, Umi, wore a beautiful shade of silver mixed with the rightly-so color of _royal_ blue. A necklace of sapphires adorned her neck gracefully, and a thin circlet was placed around her head as well. The Wind Knight, Fuu, wore the same style dress, though with the color scheme of light yellow with gold, and it was a necklace of amber adorning her neck.

Once again averting my gaze, I closed my eyes to hide my pain as Lantis and Hikaru kissed lovingly on the podium. As the wedding ended, I excused myself quickly, and upon reaching the doorway bolted out into the hallway, out into the open air of Cephiro, into my FTO, and I flew back up the waiting NSX.

_----------------_

Lantis and Hikaru were shocked to Eagle Vision's reaction to their wedding. Upon their telling him of their engagement, he was so pleased; he was nearly jumping with joy for them, but now as they were lawfully wedded husband and wife, what was wrong with Eagle? Geo stood up, followed by Zazu, and the crewmembers of the NSX. They bowed down to Lantis and Hikaru respectively, and ran out the door. The Autozamian pods waited for Zazu and the crew, while Geo entered his GTO. They raised the level of their mental energy, and flew back to their ship.

Umi suddenly spoke up, "What is _wrong_ with that man? Shouldn't he be happy that his best friend and Hikaru finally got married?" She harrumphed, and stared outside at the blinking lights of the battleship NSX.

Eagle's father walked up to Lantis and Hikaru, "Please forgive my son's behavior. I can't completely understand what went wrong, but please know that Autozam is wishing the best for both of you."

"Thank you," Hikaru smiled.

Lantis then said, "President Vision, would you please express our worries to your son?"

"Of course," President Vision nodded.

Lantis tried to move himself, tried to go and comfort Eagle, but it was now left to another person. He'd already broken Eagle's heart: It would be useless for _him_ to try and put it back together again. No, it needed to be someone else now.

He thought at that moment: _Good luck, Geo_.

_----------------_

Geo landed on the NSX, and ran quickly towards Eagle's room—it'd always been the first place he looked whenever Eagle ran away suddenly depressed. As he neared his Commander's door, he heard unrestrained sobs followed by a murmur of "Lantis..."

He entered Eagle's room, and found the other man curled up in a fetal position on his bed, his face streaked with tears, his robes unbuttoned and set out on his body, as if to be a blanket that hid him from everything outside. The sobs grew louder as the tears erupted again. The sub-commander moved in to comfort the other man, but couldn't force himself to move, the echoes of the crying commander forming a barrier. He couldn't move, but he wanted to.

_----------------_

I let my own tears spill again as I heard the door to my room open. It couldn't be Lantis, it wasn't his aura. It was…Geo? What was he doing? I thought I'd told him earlier that under any circumstances, he was to attend the reception! I removed the blanket of robes that hung over me, and dried my tears. Geo stood there, as if frozen by the sight of me crying. In fact, I haven't cried as hard as this, and the only other time I ever cried was when my mother died. I tilted my head questioningly. Why didn't he move forward? What was preventing him from moving?

I stood up and walked across my room on the NSX up to Geo. My eyes couldn't help it, and I began bawling like a child. I felt Geo tense immediately as he wrapped his arms around me, trying to soothe me, "Eagle, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"I thought I prepared myself for the event," I replied, burying my face into his robes. This conversation, it seemed familiar like the one we held on this very same ship out in the strategy room when Lantis came to take Hikaru back, and most likely convince me to stop invading Cephiro. "It's his eyes, Geo," I continued. "I feel myself crumbling whenever he stares at me with _those_ eyes…."

Of course, the dialogue in our previous conversation seemed almost similar about me not being able to handle the look in Lantis's eyes, about me crumbling whenever he stares at me. I can never help myself whenever it comes to Lantis. There's still that part of my _own_ heart that cares for him, no matter who he loves—whether it be me or someone else. But apparently that love already faded. We weren't meant for each other, whatever love he might still hold for me. I cherished my own moments with him. But then, it's Hikaru his heart is set on, not me. Perhaps, I just need to move on.

"Eagle," Geo then murmured, "can I help you in any way?"

I tried to think, tried to clear my mind of the pain that stung me badly. The inevitable pain that I _knew_ was going to come, yet cannot escape the dreaded feeling of being alone. It was…awfully lonely during the course of those seven years. I looked up at Geo, the tears finally stopping. "Please stay with me for the time being…. I need someone to talk to…."

He patted me, ruffling my hair, and encircled me in a warm embrace. "I'll always be here, no matter what you need me for, Eagle." He let me go, and smiled.

"Thank you, Geo." I leaned against his taller frame, and sighed a content sigh.

_Geo… You've always been there for me… Thank you so very much…_

_----------------_

**A/N:** A long time ago, this very story was posted on Media-Miner beneath my very first penname, _SnowyBlackOwl_ (dunno if any of you still remember me going by that name). Now, I've brought it here to Fanfiction to see if any of you here might like it. ;-) Thanks for reading!

I'd also like to extend a big hand of thanks to my friend, Rose of Vegeta, who beta-read this piece. Thanks a bunch, Rose!

_My thoughts are yours,  
_**Wakaoji Takudo**


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